title: Spinal uptake mimicking metastasis in SPECT/CT bone scan in a patient with superior vena cava obstruction.
abstract: A 46-year-old female patient with a mediastinal neuroendocrine carcinoma complicated by superior vena cava syndrome was referred for a bone metastatic workup. Bone scan with SPECT/CT showed several vertebral fixations without alterations on the unenhanced CT, but a CT scan with injection of contrast media showed vertebral densities matched to the lesions described on the SPECT/CT. This pattern confirmed presence of collateral paths through vertebral veins due to superior vena cava syndrome. Lack of metastases was confirmed by MRI.
authors.affiliation: From the *Nuclear Medicine Department and †Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Medical Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rager
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nkoulou
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garibotto
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boudabbous
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arditi
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013479:Superior Vena Cava Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed